Celebrity info

Britney Spears' marriage to Kevin Federline officially ended Monday.



"They are divorced," the pop star's attorney, Laura Wasser, said after a Superior Court hearing. "Everything is finalized."

Court Commissioner Scott Gordon signed orders for dissolution of marriage, an alimony agreement and child custody.

The alimony agreement will not be made public unless there is an enforcement issue, Wasser said.

"Most of that tracks the prenup," the attorney said, without elaborating.

The child custody order was tentatively sealed, pending an Aug. 14 hearing.

"The best interests of the children could be harmed" if the arrangement were not sealed, Gordon said.

Spears married Federline in October 2004, eight months after her first marriage to childhood friend Jason Alexander was annulled. She cited irreconcilable differences when she filed for divorce from Federline on Nov. 7, 2006.

Wasser said that Spears was "OK" with the terms of the settlement but that "she would like to be with her kids more."

Since February, Spears, 25, and Federline, 29, have shared joint custody of their two sons, 22-month-old Sean Preston and 10-month-old Jayden James.

Steve Martin married girlfriend Anne Stringfield during a ceremony at his Los Angeles home, his publicist said.



Former Nebraska Sen. Bob Kerrey, a friend of Martin's, presided over Saturday's ceremony, Alan Nierob said. Saturday Night Live creator Lorne Michaels was Martin's best man, he said.

Most of the roughly 75 guests — who included Tom Hanks, Diane Keaton, Eugene Levy, Carl Reiner and Ricky Jay — were not told that he and Stringfield would wed when they were invited to his home for a "party," Nierob said. The ensuing nuptials were a surprise to them, he said.

Martin, 61, was previously married to actress Victoria Tennant, whom he divorced in 1994 after about 8 years together, Nierob said.

It was the first marriage for Stringfield, 35, a writer and former staffer for The New Yorker magazine.

The two had dated for about three years, Nierob said.

Martin delivered his vows sporting an Inspector Clouseau mustache he let grow in for his appearance in the upcoming sequel to 2006's "Pink Panther" remake.

His other movies include "Planes, Trains & Automobiles," "L.A. Story," "Parenthood," and "Father of the Bride."

His novel "Shopgirl" was made into a 2005 film starring himself and Claire Danes.

Nicole Ritchie pleaded guilty Friday to driving under the influence of drugs and was sentenced to about four days in jail and fined by a court commissioner who said she was lucky nobody was killed when she drove the wrong way on a freeway.

Richie, the 25-year-old daughter of pop singer Lionel Richie, was subdued and somber as she was lectured about her driving. She entered court on the arm of boyfriend Joel Madden.

Richie, who's rumored to be pregnant but has not confirmed it, wore a loose-fitting, knee-length black dress and spiked heels. She stood before the judge and softly answered "guilty" when asked how she pleaded to the misdemeanor charge. She initially pleaded not guilty in February.

She nodded when asked if she understood terms of the plea agreement (including 90 hours in jail and a fine of $2,048) worked out between her lawyers and prosecutors. Superior Court Commissioner Steven K. Lubell also gave Richie three years of probation and warned that she would go to county jail for a year if she violates it.

She must complete her sentence by Sept. 28. She can serve it in either a city or a county jail.

She was ordered to enroll in a drug and alcohol program and must prove that she has completed it when she returns to court on Feb. 20, 2008.

"You are not to drive with any measurable amount of alcohol or drugs in your system," Lubell told her. "You are not to drive without a driver's license."

He said the state Department of Motor Vehicles would decide whether to suspend her license.

"You are very lucky that no one was hurt of killed as the result of this incident," Lubell said.

Richie was arrested early on Dec. 11 after witnesses reported seeing her black Mercedes-Benz sport utility vehicle headed the wrong way on a freeway in Burbank.

The California Highway Patrol said they found her parked in the car pool lane.

Richie told authorities she had smoked marijuana and taken the prescription painkiller Vicodin, a CHP officer said at the time.

No drugs were found on her or in the car.

Lubell warned Richie of the dangers of driving under the influence and said: "The facts of this case, as the court knows it, is pretty scary. Someone could have gotten killed or injured. The court does not want anything to happen to you.

"If you continue to drive while under the influence of drugs or alcohol and someone gets killed, you can be charged with murder, not manslaughter.

"I hope that never, ever happens."

He said such a murder charge would come under a specific legal provision because she now has two convictions, the first one in June 2003 when she was convicted for driving under the influence of alcohol. The 2003 conviction made her eligible for a sentence of 90 days to a year in jail.

The reality TV star's lawyer, Shawn Chapman Holly, acknowledged to the court that the plea bargain reached with the prosecution was acceptable.

Richie made no comment to reporters as she left the courthouse, surrounded by private bodyguards.

Richie's jail sentence follows that of Paris Hilton, her co-star on the reality TV show "The Simple Life."

Hilton recently was released after spending about 23 days in custody for violating probation in an alcohol-related reckless driving case.

SANTA MONICA, Calif - Lindsay Lohan, who just finished a second stint in rehab for substance abuse treatment, was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving early Tuesday, authorities said.

Lohan, who is already facing a drunken driving charge in Beverly Hills, was pulled over near the Santa Monica Police Department after authorities spotted her car chasing another, said Sgt. Shane Talbot.

Authorities conducted a field sobriety test and then transported her to the police department.

The 21-year-old actress was booked on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol, driving on a suspended license and possession of cocaine, among other charges, Talbot said.

Police found cocaine in one of her pants pockets during a pre-booking search, Talbot said.

A call to Lohan's publicist was not immediately returned.

NEW YORK - Kelly Clarkson has done a lot of talking about reports of a feud with Clive Davis over the direction of her new album, "My December." Now, she's apologizing.



"I want to set the record straight on this by saying that I want my band, my advisors, those close to me and my record label to be one big, tightly knit family," the 25-year-old singer said Monday in a statement posted on her Web site.

"Like any family we will disagree and argue sometimes but, in the end, it's respect and admiration that will keep us together."

For months, Clarkson has weathered — and also fueled in candid interviews — reports of a battle with Davis, who oversees her record label, RCA, over the direction of "My December," which was released June 26.

"A lot has been made in the press about my relationship with Clive," the former "American Idol" said in her statement. "Much of this has been blown way out of proportion and out of context."

"Contrary to recent characterizations in the press, I'm well aware that Clive is one of the great record men of all time," her statement said. "He has been a key advisor and has been an important force in my success to date."

Clarkson, who co-wrote every track on "My December," gives Davis kudos for releasing the album when he wasn't obligated to do so.

"I really regret how this has turned out and I apologize to those whom I have done disservice," she said. "I would never intentionally hurt anyone. I love music, and I love the people I am blessed to work with."

A spokesperson for Davis didn't immediately respond Monday to an e-mail from The Associated Press seeking comment.

"My December" — which has yet to produce a hit single — is No. 5 on Billboard's 200 top albums chart; it arrived at No. 2.

Clarkson's first album, 2003's "Thankful," sold over more than 1 million copies. The multiplatinum "Breakaway," released in 2004, cemented her status as a bona fide artist outside of "Idol" with hits including "Since U Been Gone" and "Because of You."

POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. - Jerry Hadley, the world-class tenor known for his agile and lyric voice, died Wednesday, a week after he shot himself in an apparent suicide attempt.

The 55-year-old singer died two days after doctors at St. Francis Hospital in Poughkeepsie took him off life support, said family friend and spokeswoman Celia Novo.

Hadley, who had been battling personal problems, shot himself with an air rifle July 10 at his home in Clinton Corners, 80 miles north of New York City. State police said he was found unconscious on his bedroom floor.

The Illinois-born Hadley sang everything from Mozart to show tunes, including appearing on a recording of "Show Boat" that was a best-seller.

He built his reputation tackling demanding work, including the title role in composer John Harbison's 1999 "The Great Gatsby" at the Metropolitan Opera. Leonard Bernstein chose Hadley to sing the title role in a 1989 production of his musical "Candide," and he sang the lead in Paul McCartney's "Liverpool Oratorio" in 1991.

Hadley was featured in the Leos Janacek's opera "Jenufa," which won a Grammy in 2004.

"I particularly admired the strength and sweetness of his voice in the lyric Mozart parts and the imagination and commitment he brought to contemporary works," James Levine, music director of the Metropolitan Opera, said in a statement.

"He was also a warm, generous colleague with a great sense of humor, who always gave his very best. ... We will miss him enormously."

Hadley started his career in regional companies. He was noticed in the late 1970s by Beverly Sills, then general director of the New York City Opera, which hired him. She died earlier this month.

Hadley also performed at Milan's La Scala, the Royal Opera House at Covent Garden, the Deutsche Oper in Berlin, the Lyric Opera of Chicago, the San Francisco Opera, the San Diego Opera and the festivals in Glyndebourne, England, Aix-en-Provence, France, and Salzburg, Austria.

Hadley in recent years had been dealing with financial problems and was being treated for depression, police said after the shooting. He had been arrested in Manhattan last year in a parked car on a charge of driving while intoxicated. His lawyer said the singer never intended to drive because he realized he was tipsy, and the case was eventually dropped.